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From the Dungeons & Dragons style character sheet to the branching create-your-own-adventure mission structure, the influence Bethesda’s RPGs have had on The Outer Worlds is unmistakable. 

That’s no surprise given the game’s creator, Obsidian Entertainment, was responsible for the hugely popular Fallout: New Vegas. What’s more of a shock is The Outer Worlds isn’t merely a New Vegas sci-fi clone, but a vastly improved RPG venture that feels like a significant but natural evolution nine years later. Put simply, Obsidian is beating Betesda at its own game. 

While the likes of Fallout 4 promised players the opportunity to adopt any playstyle they fancy, it still felt very much like a classic run-and-gun shooter with extra features tacked on top. The Outer Worlds can’t be accused of the same sin, with the opportunity to avoid combat altogether persistently present. 

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With enough stealth skill points applied, you’re able to sneak and lockpick your way through enemy-riddled buildings without detection. Or instead, you could become a computer wizard, hacking computer terminals to open sealed doors and configure the artificial intelligence of guard ‘bots so they fire at their mechanical mates. My favourite skill of all though was the dark art of persuasion, as I sweet talked others into doing the dirty work for me and convinced trigger happy characters to set aside their guns.

Persuading a character wasn’t simply a case of upgrading my Dialogue skill and choosing the most complimentary speech options. I had to gather intel from computers, gossip with NPCs and make Sherlock-esque deductions from the environment in order to unlock the desired dialogue option. It’s a lot of work, but the payoff from diplomatically defusing a situation feels absolutely incredible. 

That’s not to say gunning down enemies isn’t fun though. The Outer Worlds is brimming with a variety of weapons, including your traditional sci-fi plasma blasters to more quirky additions such as the shrink ray and a flame-powered scythe. 

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The implementation of a rock-paper-scissors combat system encourages experimentation with its diverse arsenal of weaponry, preventing you from relying on one over-powered rifle. For example, plasma weapons are capable of disintegrating fleshy foes, but aren’t so effective against the steel-clad machines and the reptilian Mantisaur monsters – corrosive bullets prove far more useful here.

Going for the violent option too frequently can also have severe consequences on the game world. Most (if not every) NPC can be murdered, and doing so can close off select missions. Your actions will also influence your reputation among several factions, influencing vendor prices and the hostility towards you. Rarely have I experienced a game world that feels so immersive and malleable, increasing the gravity of every one of my decisions while making planet revisits a far more fascinating prospect. 

It’s near-on impossible to please everyone too, as you’ll have to make tough decisions where both options are morally ambiguous. One early mission forces you to pick between two candidates to become the leader of a small town. You can either side with a corrupt factory boss who overworks his employees to illness, or a feisty rebellion leader who digs up human remains for fertiliser. Abandoning the typical “good” and “bad” morality meters in favour of these murky ethics makes for far more engaging and memorable storylines.

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On paper, such storyline might sound bleak, but The Outer Worlds sets a wacky, tongue-in-cheek tone from the get-go, rich with laugh-out-loud dark humour. Within a few hours of play, I had the spaceship AI bluff a self destruction sequence in an attempt to scare me off, while a commander expressed concerns about the work ethic of a soldier who died during their work shift. 

Obsidian has included lots of tiny details into The Outer Worlds to weave into its humour, including random emails, environmental storytelling and even item descriptions in your inventory. My personal favourite for the latter can be found on the Flamethrower, which reads, “For when you absolutely, positively have to set everything you can see on fire”.

The cartoony and vibrant art style compliments the tone very well too, while also providing a distinctive character to the many planets you explore. Unlike the likes of Skyrim and Fallout 4, The Outer Worlds doesn’t take place on one massive open-world map, but several smaller hub worlds. This has the benefit of allowing the seismic narrative-altering consequences from various missions to remain potent on each planet, but without affecting the entirety of the game.

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The only drawback to having several hub worlds is planet hopping involves a couple of nuisance loading screens. That said, I get a joyous Guardians of the Galaxy vibe every time I join my ragtag crew aboard The Unreliable ship and watch it jet across the galaxy for another adventure. 

Your crew is made up of select NPCs recruitable via side missions. They operate very similarly to Mass Effect, in that you can upgrade their skills, provide them with weapons and even complete character-focused ‘Companion Quests’ for a bounty of experience points. From the shotgun-wielding vicar to the cleaning bot turned death machine, each companion is a pleasure to have at your side whether aiding you in combat or chiming in with the odd quip during NPC conversations. 

And it’s also worth pointing out that despite putting many hours into The Outer Worlds so far, I encountered no bugs or technical glitches. You’ll see texture popping when you first spawn into a world and load screens are a tad slow on the standard PS4, but both of these are forgivable when you consider how densely packed each planet is with loot, enemies and side quests. Overall, The Outer Worlds feels very polished indeed.

Should I buy The Outer Worlds?

I’m only midway through The Outer Worlds, and won’t be delivering a final score until the main story (rumoured to be 30-40 hours long) is completed. 

If it continues its fine form though, this will not only become one of my favourite games of the year, but one of my favourite RPG experiences full stop. 

With a wacky dark humour, an expansive upgrade system and branching storylines that make every action feel significant, Obsidian Entertainment looks to set a new bar for RPG games. 

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